The Christmas Challenge
by MaidenMoonshine
Summary: Abby and Quinta find a Christmas challenge. Can they brighten a co-worker's Christmas without getting into trouble yet again?
1. Chapter 1 - Post-Thanksgiving Grumbles

**Hi, everyone! **

**So, fiftyshadeswritergall and I did nt forget Christmas. We have both been very busy, but we have been working on a little story. We hope that you can enjoy it even if it is a little late...! **

**Let's see Quinta and Abby a week after Thanksgiving...**

**...**

"Quinny, stop complaining about it! I already told you, it is not possible!"

"But I swear that I can still feel my butt tingle from that spanking!" Quinta retorted with conviction.

"No, you can't!" an exasperated Abby replied, rolling her eyes. "That was a week ago, and it wasn't even that hard of a spanking!"

Quinta's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Really? You didn't seem to think so when it was you getting spanked!"

The office support girl was visiting the lab over their lunch break and all she wanted to talk about was their unsuccessful Thanksgiving

Abby frowned. She was rather tired of Quinta bringing up the Thanksgiving spankings yet again. While Quinta - who was suddenly behaving immaculately - was still processing the fact that she had allowed herself to receive an over-the-knee spanking from Gibbs and what that might mean in the future, Abby was just wanting to move on with life. Every time Quinta brought up the tender memory, Abby was forced to remember how embarrassing it had been.

"Besides, it's my bottom and I'm pretty sure that is is still sore," Quinta stated with conviction.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Fine. Great. Mine isn't and I'm tired about talking about how good you will be forever. It's almost Christmas. What do you want to do?"

"Be really good."

That was quite easily the most boring statement that Quinta had ever made in her life. Well, that and the ten dozen similar statements that she had made over the last week. Quinta had seemed fine at Gibbs' house, but once they left she had seemed to get confused about what came next. While Abby was used to being disciplined, forgiven, and sent on her way, Quinta was dealing with some very natural uncertainty. In Abby's eyes, she was not dealing with it very well at all. She was even getting suspicious that Gibbs had spanked all of the fun right out of Quinta. It was time to reignite that spark. However, because of Quinta's constant reminders, Abby was well aware that she did not want to do anything to get on Gibbs' bad side while amping up for Christmas. She reflected morosely that she would then be on Quinta's bad side too. Yes, it was time to get in the Christmas spirit and she wanted to infect all of her friends as well. She had no doubt that Tony, Tim, and even Ziva would be easy. It was Gibbs and - surprisingly - Quinta that she had to work on, and she was convinced that Gibbs would be easier. If she could get him on board, then Quinta would likely eagerly follow.

Think, Abby, think!

A smile crossed Abby's lips and she cut off Quinta's next lament about how strict Gibbs was.

"Stop by after work. I think that I might have a surprise for you then."

...

"Please, Gibbs!"

"Abs ..."

"Please! With cream and sugar and Caf-Pow!s?"

He relented with a smile. He really had not been going to say "no" but it was fun to hear her outlandish plans and pleas to change his mind.

"I'll take you tonight."

"And Quinta?"

"If she wants to."

"And Tony and Tim and Ziva?"

"Tony and Tim are both away right now. They headed out this morning on transport duty with one of our witnesses, but Ziva is still around. She's been a little grumpy today, but you could ask and see if she would like to come."

"Thank you, Gibbs! Thank you! This is really special to me!"

"You and Quinta don't have any tricks up your sleeve, do you?" Gibbs added sternly.

Abby's face fell. "No. She has been really boring since you spanked her!"

Gibbs could not help but smile a little at the despair in Abby's voice.

"I'm sure that you're exaggerating, Abs."

"No, I'm serious! All she does is worry about getting in trouble again. It really does not seem fair!"

"What? That you got in trouble for trying to steal turkeys? Because if that does not seem fair, we could talk about what would have been the alternative if the farmer had called the police ..."

"Not that!" Abby sighed in frustration. "I just wish that Quinta was not so nervous of getting you upset again. Like, I know you really well and even though I hate your spankings, I don't spend every minute around you worry about getting you upset at me. After all, you're a lot nicer than most people realize. But Quinta seems to think that you're going to be annoyed if she doesn't dot her i's and cross her t's correctly!"

Gibbs looked thoughtful for a minute.

"It's a good idea. I should've tried harder to connect with Quinta during the last week to make sure that everything was good with her, but this case had to take priority."

"She's fine," Abby assured him. "Just not herself."

Gibbs smiled and teasingly asked, "But if she's being well behaved, maybe we should leave well enough alone?"

"Gibbs!" The single word was filled with protest and censure.

"Why didn't you ever go through a phase where you wanted to be so good that you would never earn another spanking?"

Abby shrugged, unashamed by such old memories. "I don't know. Now, how about the plan?"

"Don't worry. I'll take you both - or the three of you, if Ziva wants to go - to supper, then we can go to the farm together."

Abby's face lit up with a grin and she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Gibbs could not hide his smile at her excitement. He kissed her cheek before gently pushing her back toward the elevator.

"Back to work, Abs."

He watched her skip off, eager to have her next plan go through. He was glad that she had come to him with her suggestion. Besides the joy that he would receive from helping the girls have a fun evening, he was also glad to have a chance to reconnect with Quinta. Now that Abby had mentioned it, he could recall Quinta scurrying off in the opposite direction or shyly peering around giant folders every time he was near her department. He was fairly certain that it was just a healthy nervousness and not fear, but tonight would be a good time to check in and make sure that Quinta was not making it into a bigger deal than it needed to be. After all, as he had told both her and her father, the only time that he would ever consider disciplining her would be if she got into deep trouble with Abby. Other than that, she had not reason to be nervous around him.

Ziva wandered back to her desk, chatting on her phone. A smile had returned to her face.

"It sounds like a lot of fun. I will see you tonight! Bye, Abby!"

He smiled again before turning back to the paperwork. It sounded like Ziva was on board. With the three girls together, he was sure that his evening would be quite amusing.

...

"Abby? I'm heading home," Quinta said, popping her head around the door to the lab.

"Oh, no you don't!" Abby declared, zooming over and capturing her friend. There was no way that Quinta was going to escape from participating in her wonderful plan for the evening. "You are going to come with Gibbs, Ziva, and me!"

"For what?" Quinta asked suspiciously. "I haven't done anything wrong and I don't want to!"

"Relax! It's Gibbs taking us."

Quinta still looked suspicious.

"Look - it'll be fun. Much more fun than your idea about chasing turkeys." Abby had to hide her smile as Quinta put her hands on her hips.

_Here comes the rebuttal!_

"That wasn't my idea! That was yours and I just went along with it!"

"It doesn't matter who's idea it was." Quinta froze as she heard Gibbs' voice. She spun around.

"Hello!" she said shyly. Gibbs picked up the conversation.

"That's all in the past and that's where it'll stay. Do you want to come get a tree with us, Q? We're going to go get dinner first, then head out to a tree farm owned by any old friend of mine."

"Wait - a tree farm?" Quinta asked, turning to Abby who was delighted to see the excitement in Quinta's eyes.

"Gibbs is going to help us all get Christmas trees!"

Quinta turned to Gibbs, making sure that Abby was not joking. Once she saw his confirming smile, she happily squealed, "Then let's go! I love finding the perfect Christmas trees! This will be a fun winter adventure!"

And with that, the old Quinta Diaz was back at full force!

...

**Happy New Year to you all (a little belated!). We wish you a year of wonderful stories (of which we hope this will be one). Please remember to review!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Tree Farm Field Trip

**Thanks for the reviews - xstargirlx123, Fashionista-girl, Troubled-Angel-26, A, S, and DS2010! We love hearing from you! **

**Now, here is chapter two by the fabulous fiftyshadeswritergal!**

...

Gibbs took the three girls to his favorite diner for dinner and then headed out to the tree farm his friend owned just outside of town.

Gibbs didn't see anything wrong with Quinta. She had chatted nonstop throughout dinner about finding the perfect tree – or three in their case: one for Quinta, one for Abby and one for Gibbs's house. Ziva was happy to come along but didn't want a tree since she was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah instead.

Abby was so thrilled that Quinta was acting "normal" again and started to get excited about getting a tree as well.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed as they rode along toward the tree farm. "Can we stop and get a Caf-Pow!? I really could use one to make sure I'm at peak energy for the tree picking! There's a store right up here that has them."

"Abs, I think you've had enough today. Why don't we just get there and see how it goes? I'm sure that you'll have enough energy on your own. You can wait until later."

Abby frowned and poked Quinta in the side next to her to come to her rescue.

"Hmmm," Quinta said tentatively. "Waiting sounds like a good idea. But stopping and making sure we stay fueled sounds even better! What do you think, Gibbs? It is Christmas after all."

Gibbs frowned slightly. _What happened to the girl who never wanted to misbehave again?_ Gibbs wondered. He made a mental note to consider Abby's penchant for exaggeration before taking action next time. On the other hand, Gibbs was happy Quinta was finally allowing her misdeed and subsequent punishment to stay in the past.

Ziva was watching the interaction with interest. She hadn't witnessed the girls with Gibbs yet and she wondered how he would respond.

"I think," Gibbs said in a slightly more stern tone. "That I said no. You both had Caf-Pows! with dinner. Too much caffeine and you'll feel sick. So how about we focus on getting the trees and then maybe some hot chocolate after."

Abby and Quinta looked at each other, clearly communicating without words. They both smiled simultaneously.

"Hot cocoa is an even better idea than Caf-Pow! Gibbs," Abby exclaimed. "How did you get to be so smart?"

Just then Gibbs pulled into the tree farm parking lot and found a spot. He turned off the engine and turned to the girls.

"I want to talk to my friend first and then we will pick trees. You can look around, just don't go too far. It's dark out here and easy to get lost if you head too far into the farm. Got it?"

Three girls nodded and hopped out of the truck, bundled in hats and mittens and scarves.

Gibbs stopped for a moment and realized how long it had been since he had gone to a tree farm to get a tree. He had a moment of sadness for Kelly and Shannon which was soon overtaken by his gratitude for the new family he had been given.

He watched as Abby, Ziva and Quinta scrambled out of the truck and straight toward the bunches of trees waiting for homes. He saw Abby start to head further back into the lot and watched as Quinta pulled her friend closer and redirect her to trees near the front.

Gibbs smirked as he made his way to speak to the tree farm owner, who he had known for years. Well, he thought, maybe that spanking was just right for Quinta – deterring her from further mischief while leaving her adventurous spirit intact.

...

Two hours later the Gibbs crew set to leave the tree farm with three trees and a wreath for Ziva's front door in hand.

Quinta and Abby were practically vibrating with excitement at the venture. Ziva also seemed to be enjoying the outing, soaking in as much American Christmas culture as she could.

"Can we get hot cocoa now?" Quinta asked as they headed back into town.

"Sure, we just need to find a place to stop."

At this announcement, Ziva piped up.

"There is a coffee shop Tony and I go to that is connected to a book shop. It is very nice and the hot chocolate is good."

"Perfect!" Abby exclaimed. "And I love books too!"

She was now visibly bouncing in her seat until Gibbs raised his eyebrow at her. Abby stopped bouncing but kept making random signs with her hands and fidgeting due to her excessive energy.

Quinta saw the exchange and made a mental note to keep up her good behavior. There was no way she was going to be disciplined this close to Christmas!

_But_, she thought as they pulled in front of the coffee shop and bookstore, _it doesn't mean we can't have just a _tiny_ amount of glitter for the holiday, right?_

As if on cue, Abby leaned over to her and whispered, "We need to talk about Operation Sparkle for Christmas."

Quinta modded enthusiastically at her friend, the old gleam of playfulness back in her eye.

Abby caught Quinta's look and mirrored it back to her. Internally, Abby was congratulating herself on doing such a good job of getting Quinta out of her funk and on to bigger and better adventures.

The girls locked arms and headed into the coffee shop just behind Ziva. Gibbs had noticed the interaction but decided to let it go – for now at least.

**...**

**Please remember to review! We love hearing from you! **


	3. Chapter 3 - Bookstore Surprises

**Hi, everyone! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! We appreciate it! **

**Who wants to see a little glitter enter the story? Perhaps Abby and Quinta will get their wish! **

**...**

Once Gibbs entered the bookstore he immediately regretted that he had not gone in before the girls.

The first thing that he saw was a giant book on display entitled "Medieval Forms of Torture" that Ziva was excitedly paging through as though gaining inspiration for the next time she chased someone into a dark alley. Indeed, her hand seemed to already be creeping toward her concealed knife that she adored so much.

The second thing that caught Gibbs' eye was the giant Christmas tree in the corner. It was not just any Christmas tree - it was a silver, glittery tree. Gibbs could not believe it - every branch, ever embedded light, ever needle itself of the artificial item was generously encrusted in glitter. As if that gaudy display was not enough, ornaments in gold and turquoise, pink and purple added to the chaos of colour. Cosmic reindeer and jeweled stars twinkled - no, burnt with refracted light. Crystals and sun catchers danced on branches not balancing pink glittery Santas and turquoise sleds and golden skates. Royal purple ribbon with fine glittery patterns snaked around, entwined with bubble gum pink beads. An angel swathed in sequins and jewels that covered shimmery silk skin seemed to be an unnecessary celestial token on top to the shocked and horrified Gibbs.

Abby and Quinta were standing next to it, transfixed.

"It ..." Quinta breathed.

"...Is..." Abby added.

"PERFECT!" they squealed together.

_Disgusting would be the correct word_, Gibbs mused, walking over. At least the girls were getting their fills of glitter FAR away from his house!

"Look, Gibbs!" Abby said in a beguiling tone that he immediately recognized as her "I'm-going-to-butter-you-up-so-you-can't-say-no" voice.

"I see, Abs," he replied in his "flattery-does-not-work-with-me" voice.

"It is so wonderful!" Quinta breathed, authentically enjoying the view. Gibbs cringed to think that the kid could even be impressed.

"Isn't it overdone?" he asked them.

"With a real tree as the backdrop, these ornaments would look better and they could really shine," Quinta said objectively.

"And the pink Santas would have to go - only red Santas for me! Or goth ones," Abby said. "Other than that..."

"PERFECT!" they chorused. Then they swung around and continued with, "Can we decorate your ..."

"Not like that, you won't!" Gibbs said before the girls could even complete their question. No way was he going to let them drag that awful craft supply into his house! Enough of it came off of Abby's sparkly accessories whenever she visited and he had no desire for even one more partical than absolutely necessary.

Gibbs' face softened as he saw that he had snapped. Quinta's eyes were as large as Oreos, but she and Abby still had identical stubborn looks as they glanced between the glittery tree and him.

"No," he repeated firmly, but more kindly this time. "You can help me decorate, but no glitter."

"Fine," Abby huffed, disappointed. "I guess that Quinta and I will just have to save the awesome decorating ideas for our trees instead!"

Gibbs smiled and nodded his approval.

"I'm going to go see what book Ziva is reading" - _in a censorship attempt_ \- "but why don't you girls go get something to drink?" He pointed to a menu on the wall next to a small coffee counter on the side of the room.

"I want a mocha," Quinta said, "with peppermint whipped cream and sprinkles on top."

"I want the red velvet hot chocolate," Abby chattered, spotting the item on the menu board. "And a ginger sparkle cookie!"

"I want one of those shortbread angels," Quinta murmured, looking at the display of baked treats. "Or maybe one of those chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting! They look so decadent!"

"Order whatever you want and tell them that them two more people will order. I'll get the bill," Gibbs said. He looked around for Ziva and went to find her in the corner with a display of war books.

...

Abby and Quinta were innocently looking over the baked goods and drink menu - with so many options, their choices were wavering a little - when they saw it. There, next to the cash, were all of the Christmas ornaments that they had just been admiring.

And the ornaments were for sale!

Cookies and hot chocolate far from their minds, they immediately began to look over the pile of sparkly treasures.

"I absolutely adore the pink and purple ones. I'm going to buy them," Abby told the cashier, "except for the Santas."

"I like all the turquoise and gold ones, but I like the pink and purple too. How about we get all of them and then we can split the ornaments between us?" Quinta suggested. Abby energetically nodded.

"Certainly. And were you going to order anything from the cafe?" the cashier asked.

"Yes!" the girls chorused and went back to their snack choices.

"Oh, and keep the tab open because Gibbs is buying it for us and Ziva too," Abby said.

Little did she and Quinta realize that they had just placed the despised glittery ornaments on Gibbs' bill.

**...**

**Please remember to review! The next chapter will be up soon! **


	4. Chapter 4 - Overwhelming Bills

**_Finally_ ****back with the next chapter! (My fault, not fiftyshadeswritergal's! She did a wonderful job on this chapter and you are going to LOVE it!) **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! We love hearing from you!**

**Now, please enjoy and remember to review!**

**...**

The four sat around a café table enjoying their hot chocolate and treats. Or in Gibbs case, very strong and very black coffee.

The conversation had hit a comfortable lull. Ziva was leafing through the torture techniques book and Abby was nibbling on her shortbread angel cookie. Quinta slid her phone out to check her Twitter feed. She hadn't even unlocked her phone when she felt Abby poke her in the ribs.

Quinta looked up and saw a not-so-happy Gibbs staring at her – rather, staring at her phone.

"No phones at the table, Quinta, unless it is work related," he explained, trying not to sound too stern.

Quinta blushed. Ziva and Abby were staring at her, probably wondering how she would react.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know," Quinta said, quickly pocketing her phone.

"No need to apologize," Gibbs said. "It's-"

"A sign of weakness," Abby and Ziva chorused, then broke into laughter. Even Gibbs smiled. Quinta laughed too, feeling less on the spot. She had relaxed a lot around Gibbs just in this one outing and everyone was glad to that.

"I'm gonna go pay and then get you girls home," Gibbs said, getting up from the table.

He took the torture book from Ziva and she looked at him questioningly.

"I'm going to pay for it. You can have it right back," Gibbs explained.

Ziva smiled and said thank you and turned her attention back to Abby and Quinta.

"What do you two have planned? I can tell you have something up your blouse."

Quinta giggled at Ziva's mistake. She really liked Ziva, even though she was still a little afraid of her as well.

"Sleeve, Ziva," Abby corrected. " And nothing. We are on our best behavior!"

Ziva narrowed her eyes at the two women sitting across from her. Abby was normally up to _something_ but maybe not now, Ziva considered. Ziva had caught Quinta squirming unconsciously at the idea of creating mischief around Gibbs and instantly felt sympathy for the young woman. Abby has told them all how the two had tried to save turkeys and what had transpired at Gibbs's house after the rescue was botched.

"It is okay," Ziva said to Quinta with a small smile. "I was nervous after my first time too. We have all been there. There is nothing to be embarrassed about."

Quinta instantly knew what Ziva was talking about and her cheeks flushed a bright red - but her flush stalled when she realized what Ziva had said. Then her curiosity took over.

"Wait! You? Gibbs? He- you?" Quinta sputtered on her words.

"Yes, me," Ziva answered. "Gibbs is like a father to me and he does not tolerate us putting ourselves in danger. One discussion with him put me straight for some time."

Quinta was at a loss for words. The great ninja assassin had been worried about further discipline from Gibbs after her first time? Relief washed over Quinta that she wasn't alone in her bid to be good for the rest of time as she nodded at Ziva in full agreement.

Abby, who always accepted Gibbs's discipline with more ease, watched the interaction between Quinta and Ziva. She was glad her glitter-loving buddy and resident ninja were getting to know each other.

Just as Abby was about to pipe into the conversation, she was unceremoniously interrupted by the growl of a very upset dad across the café.

"Three hundred dollars?" Gibbs growled at the café clerk who looked like he was about to faint after handing Gibbs the bill. "What exactly is in that hot chocolate? Abigail! Quinta!"

The two girls winced at the stern tone and the attention they garnered from the other customers. Luckily the café was mostly empty save for a young woman on her laptop with earbuds in and an older gentleman reading the paper.

"Come here, girls. Now."

By the time Abby and Quinta made it to the counter Gibbs had pulled out his reading glasses and taken a closer look at the bill.

"Decided to buy out the ornaments, huh? Gibbs asked in a much calmer voice as the girls shuffled up.

"Gibbs! It's a mistake," Abby said quickly. "Those decorations are supposed to on our bill. Quinta and I were going to split them for our trees!"

Quinta nodded furiously, still unable to speak.

"Trees that will be your homes, right? Not in my house, not on Ziva's door, and NOT at NCIS?" Gibbs asked.

Both girls shook their heads so hard that Gibbs was slightly worried about head trauma.

"Okay, then," he said, handing his credit card to the cashier. "My treat."

Abby immediately mobbed Gibbs with a hug and lots of thank you's. Quinta also said thank you and started hopping up and down at the prospect of their glittering trees.

The girls gathered their bags of ornaments, Ziva snagged her book and they all headed back out to the truck.

_Maybe this behaving thing isn't so bad after all_, Abby mused as they got into the truck. She took Quinta's gloved hand and squeezed it. Perhaps they could have good behavior AND glitter!

It would be a Christmas miracle!

**...**

**Hmm ... there will be a surprise in the next chapter! What do you think you will happen? Please remember to review! **


	5. Chapter 5 - Uncomfortable Commute

**Hi, everyone! Sorry that it has been so long since an update. I've been tired and a little stressed - not ideal for managing my writing! However, I'm going to try to get back to it more regularly! **

**Thank you for all the great response to the last chapter. fiftyshades did an awesome job, didn't she?! (This chapter is by me.) **

**Please enjoy! **

**...**

Abby and Quinta were nearly vibrating on their ride home. They could not wait to decorate!

"I can't believe. I can't believe it. I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" Abby kept repeating as she held the box of glittery surprises gently in her arms.

"It's a miracle," Quinta said softly, starting to open one of the boxes to get a better look at the bauble inside.

"Do not get that glitter on me!" Ziva protested, even though she was in the front seat and far away fro the glitter. She had started getting grumpy when she realized that there was not enough light in the car for her to finish reading the current chapter. Apparently she had been at a riveting point when Gibbs had interrupted by telling her that it was time to go if she did not want to be left to walk home. Another complaint was that the wreath jammed against her legs was prickly - she had stated that it was "pickling me!" to the amusement of the others, which was another sore spot. A long day at work was catching up with her. Although usually it was Abby who normally was more comfortable sharing her emotions, Ziva was becoming visibly irritated.

Gibbs noticed that Ziva's mood had been taking a downward swing throughout the day. He had been hopeful when she had exhibited similar excitement for the evening as Abby and Quinta, thinking that whatever had been bothering her had disappeared. Although she seemed to have enjoyed her time at the tree farm and then at the bookstore, there had been a subtle shift throughout the night. She had hidden it well by burying her nose in a book, but now that reading was out of the question, whatever had been needling her through the day was affecting her mood. Just why, he could not tell but he intended to find out soon - right after ensuring that glitter did not get all through his truck.

"Keep the ornaments in the boxes, Abby. We don't need you spreading glitter all over the place."

"It's not me taking them out! That's Quinta."

"I'm not trying to glitter everywhere. If that happens, it's an accident!" Quinta defended herself.

"I know," Gibbs assured her. "Just ... please, don't."

Abby, surprised at the use of the word "please", elbowed Quinta and motioned for her to put the ornament away. Quinta complied. They could both feel the tension radiating off of Ziva, who was by that point glaring out the window.

"Something bothering you, Ziver?" Gibbs asked softly.

"No!" she snapped.

"Ziva," Gibbs said, warning. He was not bothered by her snappiness - he was snappy most of the time himself and could pardon it periodically in those under his leadership and care. However, he did care about what was bothering Ziva. He did not want the fun evening to be ruined by some unresolved issue. He spoke softly, trying to cut nosy Abby and curious Quinta out of the conversation as much as possible. "I can tell that something is bothering you - has been all day. What is it?"

"None of your business!" Ziva exploded.

Quinta clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from gasping in horror. She was naturally far more timid than Ziva but even with all the imagined courage in the world she could not image snapping like that at Gibbs. Even Abby's eyes nearly doubled in size.

Gibbs' jaw tightened.

"Ziva, disrespect is not allowed. Apologize."

Ziva folded her arms across her chest and continued to look out the window.

"No," she said airily.

Gibbs jerked the car to the side of the road and slammed it into park before turning to her.

"Miss David, want to rethink that answer?"

"No!"

"If you do not change the attitude I'll be forced to help you change it."

"I do not care! I am not sorry and I will be disrespectful if I want to be!"

Abby and Quinta were as still as statues. The box that Quinta had been holding fell to the ground, seeming extremely loud in the shocked silence.

Gibbs unbuckled, got out of the car, went around to Ziva's side, and unceremoniously unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her outside. It was too dark for Quinta and Abby to see, but they could hear Gibbs quietly scolding - "You do not behave like that, young lady! That disrespect was uncalled for" - and two firm swats before a flushed Ziva was led back to the car. She got back in slowly and ducked her head immediately.

The other two girls were in shock that somehow Ziva was the one in trouble and not them. They looked away sympathetically, trying to give Ziva as much privacy as possible in the rattly old truck. From the corner of her eye, Abby could see Ziva squirm a little in her seat. She winced sympathetically.

Gibbs got into the car and started driving again but all the Christmas spirit seemed to have evaporated.

...

**Hmm ... what do you think is going on? Maybe we'll find out more in the next chapter, but until then, put your ideas into the comments (that we really hope that you'll leave for us if you have a second)! Thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6 - Decorating and Debates

**Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. Now we are back with another chapter by fiftyshadeswritergal. :) **

**...**

"I don't know, Abby," Quinta said as she squinted at the tree they'd been decorating for the last two hours. "I think it could use something right here."

Abby peered at the space Quinta was pointing at and furrowed her brow. Abby's tree looked complete to her, the two had even cut out paper skulls and glittered them to add to the Goth's unique flair.

"Hmmm."

Quinta looked over at her friend and realized the problem. Abby was not standing in the right place to see the gaping hole in their glittery creation. She took hold of her friend's shoulders and moved her to right where Quinta had been previously standing.

"Hey! Ohhhhh…" Abby exclaimed as she realized what Quinta was doing. "You're right! I know exactly what to put there!"

Abby ran to her coffee table to fetch a glittery blue and green orb and placed it jauntily on the tree. Both girls sighed in contentment.

Just as Abby was about to dim the lights so they could truly appreciate their handiwork, her phone rang. It was Gibbs.

"Hi, Gibbs! What? I guess. We just finished! It's amazing and has glitter and-. Yes, I know. Yes. Do I really have to say that? Okay. Bye."

Abby tone had traveled the spectrum from jubilant to downtrodden during the short phone call. Quinta stood by expectantly, waiting to hear what he said.

"Gibbs wasn't mad, was he?" Quinta asked, a little of her earlier nervousness about misbehaving returning.

"No," Abby replied, setting her phone down. "He said he was glad we liked the tree and the ornaments, but that we had better get to bed. Work tomorrow."

Quinta's face became stormy at that remark.

"Abby! We haven't even gotten to my tree! The night is young! Besides, Gibbs won't know if we stay up. We'll just have extra Caf-Pow's tomorrow!"

Quinta started to gather up the décor so that they could take it to her place for the second tree decorating of the night when Abby put her hand over Quinta's to stop her.

"Dang it! I hate when Gibbs is right!" Abby exclaimed. "I mean, I don't hate it but it's so annoying at times! Like the time I told him we could easily make it to the lab downtown and on the way we saw the cutest puppy. It was one of those dogs with the super long ears and his fur-"

"Abby! What's your point?"

"Oh," Abby said, shaking her head to get refocused. "Gibbs said that you would say all that. I mean, like word for word! I swear he's clairvoyant. Anyway, he told me to tell you that he has a paddle in the basement and that he will use it if needed on a certain pair of girls who love glitter but don't listen to directions."

All the blood drained from Quinta's face. A paddle?! Papa had a paddle and had used it in her on occasion and that truly had been a spanking she'd felt for days. There was no way she wanted to find out how Gibbs wielded such an implement.

"Quinta, breathe! I'm sure he would never really do that to you. He's barely ever used it with me. It's just a threat."

Abby said the last statement with a less confident tone. The truth is, now that Gibbs had spanked Quinta once, bad behavior on her part would likely warrant a similar discipline. Abby didn't want to tell Quinta that though. After all, it was Christmas.

"Still," Quinta said, having recovered her senses. "I think I'd better go home and go to bed."

She gathered up her coat and headed for the door.

"Hey!" Quinta said, pausing at the door. "Let's try to figure out how we might be able to help Ziva get in the holiday spirit during our lunch break tomorrow. I felt so bad for her tonight. Maybe she can be our Operation Sparkle since we already have these amazing trees!"

Abby rushed over to the door and hugged her friend fiercely.

"You're the best, Q!" she said, glitter all over her face and clothes from the decorating. "Come to my lab at noon. I'll provide the Caf-Pow!s."

...

Quinta ran into Abby's lab at noon precisely and bumped right into Gibbs. She bounced off his chest as her face turned bright red.

Gibbs, on the other hand, was affectionately amused by Quinta's clumsiness. It may have had something to do with the fact that Abby had recounted to him about how he had been right about Quinta's reaction and her immediate obedience once Abby mentioned Gibbs's paddle.

Gibbs absolutely did not want to scare the girl, but he also didn't see the harm in a little bit of healthy fear of being his paddle. He remembered having a bit of that himself when he was younger and his dad held dominion over his discipline. Gibbs especially did not mind if it meant he did not have to discipline Quinta again anytime soon – paddle or not. He truly hated handing out spankings and especially tried to avoid such punishments around the holidays.

"Quinta!" Gibbs said, brushing some errant glitter off his jacket from where Quinta had bumped into him. "Just the gal I was expecting. This is for you."

Gibbs handed Quinta a fresh Caf-Pow! and gave Abby one as well.

"I'll leave you two to your lunch plans," Gibbs said as he walked out. "Just try to behave. And dust yourselves off. You're dropping glitter off your clothes everywhere."

Quinta and Abby looked at each other and giggled. It was true. They both had glitter all over them, partially from their tree decorating and mostly because they could not keep their hands off their festive, shiny baubles.

"Okay, let's get to work," Abby said, bringing a tall stool over by the one next to her computer. "Operation Sparkle. How do we help Ziva?"

Quinta sat down next to Abby and opened up her journal, which was sparkly, of course. She had taken notes last night when she had gone home and couldn't sleep. Quinta had a plan she was sure would bring the young agent around to celebrate the holidays.

Abby gasped appreciably when she saw Quinta's notes. She was excited to hear her friend's plan and had a few ideas of her own.

_Like it or not, Officer David, you will enjoy the holidays,_ Abby thought determinedly. _Sparkles and all._

_..._

**Hmm ... what plans will these two girls cook up over their break? Any guesses? **

**Thanks for reading! A new chapter will be posted soon. :) **


	7. Chapter 7 - Secrets and Surprises

**Hi, everyone! Special thanks to everyone who reviewed. Here is the next chapter! **

**...**

Ziva slouched in her seat and glared at the computer screen like it had personally insulted her. She had just gotten back from her early lunch and now the area was empty. Perfect. She could be grumpy without timid glances from McGee, nosy questions from Tony, and concerned words or warning glares from Gibbs. She had the room to herself and she could be herself.

And right now, being herself meant that she was hurting a little deep inside her heart.

Her computer "dinged" cheerfully.

_A message must have arrived. I need to check it._

There it was - a tiny pop-up box from Abby. Ziva opened it and read the contents.

"Hey, Ziva! If you could have anything that you wanted for Christmas, what would it be?"

Ziva scowled and typed out her answer quickly - "For it not to be Christmas!" Her pinky stretched out to send it, but she jerked her hand away just in time.

_Abby is not trying to upset you, David! Stretch yourself together! You are the one who was foolish enough to move into a foreign culture and not book enough time off in advance to go back to Israel to spend Hannukah with friends. Now stop behaving like a baby and get back to the work that was so important that you could not leave._

She snagged a file off of the pile next to her computer monitor and began to search through it for the information that Gibbs would demand when he arrived. Hopefully she would be able to keep from snapping too harshly.

...

"That's funny. I can see that she read the message, started replying, and then turned off our chat," Abby said in confusion, examining her screen. "How are we to plan a surprise gift from Santa for her if we don't even know what she wants?"

Quinta shrugged. "Spy on her?" she suggested.

"On Ziva? What are you - crazy? She'd make us in a few seconds!" Abby exclaimed.

"What? Like you never tried?" Quinta asked suspiciously.

"It didn't go the best. She was very offended," Abby admitted sheepishly. "So, a no to the 'asking' and 'spying' ideas. What next?"

"Surely you must remember something that she would like," Quinta prompted.

"I'll go get my super secret notebook," Abby said. She dashed over to a bookshelf and came back with a notebook emblazoned with the cheerful message of "open on pain of death by chemicals and Abby's rage" on the cover.

"Subtle," Quinta said sarcastically.

"It's not a secret journal. It is a journal of secrets," Abby clarified. "Now, let me find the page on Ziva."

"Wait - do you have a page on me?" Quinta asked, peeking over Abby's shoulder.

"Back up," Abby grumbled, half-heartedly swatting at Quinta to keep her away.

"So you do," Quinta easily deduced. Abby giggled, setting Quinta slightly on edge. It was slightly disappointing to realize that her at-the-time extensive list of ways to surprise Ziva was dwarfed by this mysterious treasure trove of knowledge that Abby was paging through happily.

"Well, I ... know secrets too," Quinta muttered peevishly.

That caught Abby's attention.

"What secrets?" she demanded.

"Oh ..." Quinta struggled to think of a single secret that she had not already shared with Abby and that would still be interesting.

"What secrets?" Abby demanded again with more force.

"...Special secrets," Quinta said evasively.

Abby squinted at her.

"I don't believe you."

"Hey, my job exposes me to lots of secrets!"

"You work as an assistant to the office supply manager."

"So?!" Quinta said defensively.

"What secrets would you learn doing that?"

"Tons!"

"Like ..."

Quinta scrambled to think of a secret but could not think of anything besides how many paper clips Tony and Ziva jointly went through in a week. It drove her manager crazy but Abby likely would not have been surprised.

"I couldn't tell you," Quinta said airily.

Abby laughed heartily and Quinta could not help joining in after a few seconds.

"Look, I'll let you see the secrets that won't break any confidences. Deal?"

"Yes! And by any chance did you know that Gibbs' team - mostly Ziva and Tony - use a full package of 200 paper clips every month?"

"Wow! That's a lot!"

"I know, right?!"

"I'll have to add that to my book. You know, I bet that's why my washing machine rattled so much after Ziva did her laundry at my house that one time. I did find several paper clips tangled in my lacy table cloth the next day. Oh, and here is my section on Ziva. Let me just check my future gift list for her and we will be all set up with some ideas of what ... we can't get her."

"Why not? If we pool our resources I'm sure that we could afford it ..." Quinta's voice died off as Abby flipped around the notebook and showed her the empty area. "So we have no ideas? Great. She'll just keep being grumpy then - right at the happiest time of the year!"

Abby lifted her calendar and looked over the days thoughtfully. She had been marking off each day to Christmas with a bright red marker, childhood energy in full renaissance. She had forgotten to mark off the previous day before leaving to go tree hunting, so she uncapped the marker and crossed out the little block. She looked over the rest of the month as well, reveling in the ever-decreasing squares before Christmas.

"We only have eight days to figure out the ... wait a minute. Quinta, I think I know why Ziva is feeling so grumpy!"

**...**

**What do you think that Abby and Quinta will do? Share your suggestions (some ****_might_**** just end up in the story!). :D Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Hannukah Plans

**Hi, everyone! To be honest, I kind of forgot that I had this chapter ready! fiftyshadeswritergal is working on the conclusion, so this story will be finishing up soon. I thank you for your patience during this unintentional dearth of chapter updates! I hope that you are staying safe and healthy in your homes (our area is practicing social distancing, so I have been isolated in my house for a week and a half at this point!). :D Virtual hugs to you all, along with virtual cups of cocoa and apple cider with a plate of your favourite holiday treats! **

**Enjyo! **

**...**

Abby and Quinta met at Quinta's home that night.

"Ready to decorate?" Quinta asked Abby.

Abby nodded enthusiastically and winked. "Ready to plan?"

"Of course!"

They set the four Caf-Pow!s on a coffee table and spread out notebooks and boxes of ornaments. They took long sips of their sugary drinks and then turned to the first matter at hand - decorating Quinta's living area to put them in the right mood for creating the best joint-holiday party ever.

Decorating was easy. The ornaments and accompanying glitter seemed to explode out of the bags and boxes and onto the tree, walls, floors, and furniture - as well as over the two busy decorators themselves. Quinta sported a sprig of fake mistletoe tucked behind her ear and Abby had an extra strand of coloured lights looped around her neck like an unusual necklace. Glitter was streaked through their hair and over their faces. When they turned off the main lights to see the effect of the lights on the tree, they both reflected the light.

"We are like Christmas prisms," Abby declared, spinning in the light and enjoying how her skirt and shirt sparkled.

"You must have reflected on that!" Quinta giggled. She grabbed Abby's "Notebook of Secrets" and took a seat on a beanbag chair next to the tree. "Now, how do we start planning the best Hannukah-Christmas party ever?"

"Hey! That's mine!" Abby protested, snatching it from her friend before Quinta could find the page on her.

"I was so close!" Quinta lamented as Abby tucked the notebook into her purse and gave her spunky friend a stern glare. It lasted so long and was so focused that Quinta began to squirm. "Stop looking at me like that! It's like you're Gibbs!"

"Yikes!" Abby yelped, rapidly blinking to dissipate any Gibbs-glare. "That is SO weird!"

"It was like him except you have green eyes instead of blue."

"Weird," Abby repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. She began to mutter herself, disappearing into the "world of the mad scientist" as Tony had titled it the previous week when he had found her experimenting in her lab. "I need to stay out of trouble so that I'll stop being exposed to it so much. It must have some sort of transfer power ... but no. Because if so, Tony would be exactly like Gibbs since he gets glared at all the time. But then ... when Gibbs has to go on trips or stuff Tony sometimes acts a bit like him. I may just have to test this theory. But what experiment could I use that would effectively measure that?" She grabbed a spare piece of paper and began to energetically doodle. "If I send Gibbs away and then try to antagonize Tony in a situation seemingly involving my safety, then I could record the whole event and code and chart his reactions according to a predetermined ..."

"I'm not even a scientist and I can tell you that's a bad idea," Quinta said warningly. "You'd have to antagonize Gibbs in the same way first to be your control group - and I think that we both know how that will end if he finds out that you set him up."

Abby paled a little.

"You know, refocusing on what makes a party great might be a better use of my time."

"That sounds better. And are you sure that Ziva's grumpy because she's away from her friends and family for Hannukah?"

Abby shrugged. "I'm not so sure about the family part - at least I don't think that she would be missing her father - but I'm certain that she's missing being in Israel for Hannukah. I couldn't bear it if I was away from America for Christmas! And it must feel isolating to be by yourself while everyone else is busy celebrating a holiday while simultaneously ignoring the fact that you might be celebrating one of your own. I wish that I had thought about it earlier. I've been far too dense. I think that I've been too focused on our fun and plans to realize that something was going on with her. I haven't really been the best friend to her lately."

Quinta smiled sympathetically. "Abby, you're trying now. Just about everyone could be a better friend. At least you're noticing now and are trying and I'm sure that Ziva will appreciate that effort."

"Still, I'm going to have a talk to her about it after the surprise party. I want her to know that she doesn't have to hide stuff that bothers her. She's so used to doing everything on her own but she doesn't need to do that anymore - I don't want her to! She's not just a friend. She's actual family. She's not going to get away with it anymore!"

Quinta smiled as Abby made her emotional announcement and patted her back to try to get her to calm down a bit.

"That's great. But first, we need to plan this party. How do you want to start?"

Abby, refocused, twirled a pen between her fingers as she considered their options. "Let's think about what each person who attends the party will want."

"Food," Quinta answered promptly.

"What kind of food?"

Abby retrieved her book and began to page through her notebook of secrets, much to Quinta's envy. "Tony is first in my book - he likes chips and burgers and Italian food. Gibbs is next - I'm pretty sure that he would just like anything that is not from a can or takeout. Tim's usually up for anything. You're fine with anything, right?"

"Yes, as long as we have some sweets in there somewhere. Like, Christmas cookies."

"Christmas ... cookies," Abby echoed as she scratched the words out on her list.

"With lots of frosting," Quinta clarified.

"Good frosting," Abby added.

"And hot chocolate and apple cider."

"Mmmh! And coffee for Gibbs."

"Doesn't he ever get tired of drinking that all the time? Like, you drink Caf-Pow! but at least you sometimes drink juice or stuff to mix it up. Does Gibbs even drink water?"

"Not sure and not willing to risk it," Abby stated firmly. "I'm putting coffee at the top of the list."

"Wise choice," Quinta conceded. "Better to be safe than sorry. Very sorry."

"Practice," Abby reminded her. "I've had tons of practice with Gibbs and I know him pretty well. He'll appreciate the coffee more than anything else - since serving bourban just doesn't seem to be a good idea."

"Now, for the food, we can research what kinds of food Ziva would have likely eaten as a kid, especially around holidays. That way then she can have comfort food and the rest of us can try something new," Quinta said, pulling out her phone and beginning the research.

"Awesome! I'll leave the food planning with you and I'll start researching what else we could include that would make her feel more at home."

"I know that they light a menorah," Quinta offered. "We could ask her if she has one."

"How would we convince her to bring it without spoiling the surprise?"

"We'll come up with a plan," Quinta said confidently. "We can deal with that later."

"Right," Abby said. She opened her laptop and began to compile a playlist of songs, adding favourite Christmas carols and top Hannukah carols in a mixture that she hoped would be enjoyable to everyone in attendance.

"I'm finding good recipes," Quinta announced happily, saving several with five-star ratings. "And according to this page, we're supposed to hand out coins while celebrating. They say that chocolate coins are used a lot."

"Great! Add it to the shopping list. Tomorrow we'll go get everything that we need and give out invitations that I'll design in just a minute. We'll have the party on the 22nd - the first day of Hannukah. Ziva will NOT be alone this holiday season!"


	9. Chapter 9 - Happy Hannukah, Ziva!

**We apologize for the long wait and thank you for your patience with us with this story. Life got busy and this story ended up on the back burner. Thanks to everyone who stuck it out with us! **

**Please enjoy this final chapter! **

**...**

Ziva arrived at Gibbs' house fifteen minutes late on the first night of Hannukah. She still did not understand how Abby had convinced Gibbs to let her and Quinta host a party at his house but she had.

And from the dozen texts from both Quinta and Abby, apparently it was critical that she attend this Christmas party. She was not really in the mood to attend - she had not been in the mood for anything for the last two weeks. But she did not really desire to make the two most creative people at work annoyed at her absence. She had a feeling that revenge could be rather unpleasant. Nothing that she could not handle, of course, but she would prefer not having to when she was already in a bad mood.

She stomped up to the door, then paused to adjust her attitude before opening the door. No need for her sadness over missing Hannukah to ruin Christmas for the others.

...

"When's she coming?" Quinta muttered quietly to Abby after pulling her friend to the side.

"She said that she's coming ... but she hasn't exactly been the most agreeable over the last week. I just hope that she's not just being polite and isn't planning on skipping," Abby relied softly, looking between the window and her phone yet again.

"How did we plan for literally everything else besides this?!" Quinta grunted in frustration.

Gibbs came over and put an arm around Abby while giving both girls a smile. "Good job with the party." He realized that something was off and clued in to the issue. "Where's the guest of honour?"

"Ziva," Abby huffed impatiently, "is taking her time. She keeps saying that she's almost here but I'm worried that she isn't even planning on coming!"

Gibbs squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and gave Quinta an extra encouraging smile.

"If she says that she's on her way then just wait a little longer. If not, I'll give her a call and make sure she's coming."

"You will?" Abby asked.

"I will," Gibbs assured her.

Abby and Quinta exchanged a look and simultaneously declared "She's got five minutes."

After two minutes McGee, stationed next to the window, alerted everyone "She's here!"

"Hide, everyone! HIDE!" Abby squealed.

And by the time a freshly-composed Ziva opened the door expecting another Christmas party, everyone was in place to holler "Happy Hannukah, Ziva!"

At the sudden shouting, Ziva's hand flew back toward her gun but she was able to process the words before doing anything drastic. And once she processed the words she froze.

_What is ... why are they ... Happy Hannukah?!_

"Did we surprise you?" Abby chirped, rushing toward Ziva with an ever-ready hug. Quinta stood next them, beaming with delight. Ziva, shocked into silence, kept looking between the other guests, the two planners, the ornaments, the food ... She could hear her favourite Hannukah song from when she was a child.

"Yes," she finally stammered.

"We knew that you must be awfully disappointed to not get to be with your friends in Israel for Hannukah, so we decided to throw you a surprise party," Quinta informed the startled young woman.

"We didn't even use too much glitter," Abby said comfortingly. She tugged her surprised friend into the room and began showing her around. There were definitely Christmas touches - mini stockings, a Christmas tree, some Santa sugar cookies. But there was all the things that Ziva knew from her traditions - a menorah, chocolate gelt, latkes, and platters overflowing with other traditional Jewish delicacies.

"You did not have to do this," she choked out past a tight throat. Maybe she had been feeling more emotional about this than she had ever suspected, and this heart-warming surprise was helping to take away the bitterness of her disappointment.

"You've assimilated into our holidays all through the year. Surely we can celebrate with you for this one," Abby scolded lightly with a smile and another hug which Quinta quickly joined.

"You're special and we love you and want to make you happy," Quinta said. She hesitated. "Even if that means cutting back on the ideal glitter levels."

Ziva laughed for the first time in a while and her eyes regained their sparkle, aided perhaps by restrained happy tears.

"You do not know how happy this makes me feel," she whispered.

The two conspirators exchanged a look.

"That's why we did it!" they chimed before dissolving into laughter.

"Happy Hannukah, Ziva!"

"Merry Christmas, Abby and Quinta!"

"And to all, Happy Holidays!"

**...**

**Stay safe and well! **

**And see you soon! **


End file.
